Can You Keep A Secret?
by SnailsAndPuppyDogTails
Summary: Hannah Baker is investigating weapons of mass destruction in Iran when she is injected with an unidentified serum. When the serum displays no ill effects, the medical personnel dismiss it as a fluke. Soon, she becomes desperately ill, and it is up to Bruce Banner and Tony Stark to find out what is wrong with her, all while battling an unknown foe. Bruce Banner/OC -ON HIATUS-
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: Hey guys, this is a story I've had on my mind for like, weeks. I've recently discovered the wonderfulness that is Bruce Banner. I never really delved into him much, as I was more of a Loki fan, but now I'm totally hooked, just like with the Prince of Mischief. Anywho, I have spent a lot of time and effort on this story; I've got the first eight chapters summarized in my notebook. Yeah, EIGHT. I've also worked really hard on the story-line, and I feel like I'm very proud of it. Another thing is I've worked up a timeline, starting from the very beginning of the story through the character's installment in the Avengers Tower. After that, I'm basically winging it. A****lso, this story begins in 2008, meaning BEFORE the Avengers movie, and then skips forward to the present, 2012, AFTER the events of the Avengers. **Anyway, like I said, I've worked really hard on this story and the character (I actually re-wrote the character three times), so I hope you all like it. Another thing is that I'm not actually a Marvel junkie, so if I write something that is wrong, please let me know... My specialty is more in the Batman and LotR fandoms or whatever you call 'em. So yes, this is a Bruce Banner/OC story. Yay! Okay, I'll stop talking now. Read and enjoy, and please, if you have the time, drop me a review and let me know how I'm doing!

**Disclaimer: I don't own Marvel, the Avengers, or anything of that nature. I only own my own OC's and plot devices or whatever. You buzzards.**

* * *

Director Fury was a man who knew what he wanted, and what he wanted was for his agents to go out and recruit his new S.H.I.E.L.D members without complaining. Of course, that will never happen, seeing as how he called all of them out on a Saturday.

The last group of agents filed into his office, their faces grim and laden with sleep, and awaited his instruction, which he decided to hold off on, just to watch them squirm. Finally, after five minutes of sitting there, staring at his agents who dared not look him in his eye, he briefed them on their mission.

"Good morning, agents," he greeted sardonically, "I trust you all slept well."

There were quiet grumbles from his agents, their instincts telling them not to back-sass their superior. This was something Director Fury enjoyed: the power. He liked to see his agents look at him out of fear and respect; it just made his day. "The recruit you guys will be picking up lives in Florida—West Palm Beach, to be exact."

He paused to hand them the file in front of him. The bravest of the agents stepped forward and gingerly took the file from him and stepped back in line with his fellow agents, his fingers flicking the file open for them to review.

Their recruit seemed pretty standard; female, currently enlisted in the United States Marine Corps., returning from her first tour in Iraq. The eyes of the agents scanned the file, seeing no criminal record, and viewed the recommendation form sent in by her commanding officers. Yes, this recruit seemed pretty basic, besides the fact that she might be suffering from PTSD.

"She shouldn't give you any problems, so please don't bust into her house with your guns and armor on," suggested Fury, his voice clipped, remembering all of the past recruits who have attacked his agents because they appeared too dangerous. "I recommend, for this mission, you wear your civilians' clothing and just carry a handgun. Remember to take your tags, too, agents. Dismissed."

The agents saluted to their director then filed out of the room, their backs straight. They made their way to their respective rooms and changed into their suits, their S.H.I.E.L.D tags clipped to their pockets. At the airstrip in the front of the Helicarrier, a black jet awaited them. They loaded themselves onto the jet, and ten minutes later, they were heading to Florida.

* * *

The sun in Florida was hot, as usual. One would think that a person would stay inside their comfortable air conditioning, but not for Florida residents—for them, the hotter the weather, the better the day is for the beach or pool.

A large suburban family home sat nestled in among other homes, the windows shining from being freshly polished and the lawn a bright, healthy green color. On the outer edge of the patio was a row of rose bushes, their deep red color colliding with the crème color of the fence. Inside the home in the living room sat the recruit, her feet tucked underneath her while she watched TV. The very ends of her shoulder-length hair fluttered, a fan seeming to be nearby, and she swatted at the offensive, tickling feeling they gave her. Agent Black approached the house with his fellow teammates, Agents Collins, Philips, and Ford, and tapped his knuckles against the glass door that sat in front of the red-painted door to the home. There was a brief moment of silence before they heard the unmistakable sound of feet stomping across the floor inside, the owner no doubt upset by the visitors. The front door opened and behind the glass door stood their recruit, who glared at them warily.

"Good afternoon, Miss Baker," greeted Agent Black, his voice holding an air of professionalism. "I'm Agent Black, and these are my teammates Agents Collins, Philips, and Ford. We would like to have a word with you, if you don't mind."

Hannah Baker stared at the four agents in front of her, her mind firing off warnings and different procedures she should be taking to protect herself and her family. She pushed open the glass door and stepped aside, letting the agents cross the threshold and into her living room. They stood in the middle of the room, their hands crossed behind their backs. She noticed the first agent, Agent Black, held a folder in his hands, and she wondered what information it could possibly contain.

"Where can we have our discussion, Miss Baker?" asked Agent Black, rocking on his toes just slightly. Hannah motioned for them to follow her, and she led them to the formal dining room adjacent the kitchen. The dark mahogany wood gleamed in the sunlight, the table just having been polished recently. Behind the table stood a wall of french doors that led out to the backyard, a few lounge chairs sitting right outside the doors and facing the grilling area. She motioned to the chairs and the agents all took their seats quickly, leaving Hannah to slowly lower herself into a chair at the head of the table.

"Is something going on?" she asked warily, her heart thumping in her chest. _Please, don't let me be stop-lossed_.

"No, nothing is going on," replied Agent Black, shaking his head. He flipped open the folder in front of him and pulled out the referral packet that was sent to S.H.I.E.L.D, sliding it over to her. She picked up the small stack of paper and cautiously glanced at them before looking over the papers. On the top of each paper sat a logo, a circle with a light blue background, a black eagle spread through it. Surrounding the logo were the words Strategic Homeland Intervention, Enforcement and Logistics Division. _What the fuck?_

"I know what you're thinking," announced Agent Black, his hands clasped in front of him. Hannah looked up at him, her eyebrows creased together. Her eyes flickered over to the other three agents, who all stared back at her as if she were the most boring thing in the world. "S.H.I.E.L.D is an espionage and secret military law-enforcement agency. We tend to deal with things the normal authorities can't handle."

Hannah nodded slowly, her mind still trying to process the information. She looked over the information in the packet, her face screwing up in an even bigger mess of confusion. "Referral form? Why did the USMC send you a referral form for me? Did I do something wrong?"

Agent Black chuckled at her apparent distress and shook his head in amusement. Her nerves calmed down slightly, and she released a breath she hadn't known she was holding. So she wasn't in trouble, but why else would they be here, at her home in Florida. She went back to reading over the form, and she finally caught sight of the header. _S.H.I.E.L.D Recruit Recommendation Form._ Once again, her brows knitted themselves together and she felt her heart race. "I'm being recruited?"

The agents that sat around her dining room table all nodded, smiles gracing their stoic faces.

"Yes," confirmed Agent Black, his head bobbing up and down. He took the form from her and pulled out another packet of papers, once again sliding them across the polished wood to her. She took the packet up and flipped through it, viewing the different jobs that the secret agency offered.

"What position am I being recommended for?" she asked, a bit of excitement finally seeping into her tone. Agent Black smiled, his brown eyes brightening.

"You're being recruited for the position of secret agent," he said. Hannah nodded once more at him, her fingers thumbing through the packet to find the description of the secret agent job position. "We are secret agents, my colleagues and I here. Each department sends out six hundred agents to retrieve their recruit, each department receiving one-hundred fifty new recruits each year."

Hannah hungrily read all of the information provided for the secret agent position, her heart fluttering away at the excitement of being recruited for a job so awesome. She began to wonder if she'd have to keep her job a secret from her family.

"I'm guessing no one is allowed to know I work for you?" she asked, an eyebrow raising just slightly. Agent Black shook his head, his smile faltering for a brief moment.

"No, when you join S.H.I.E.L.D, your occupation must be kept secret," he confirmed, his voice trailing off slightly at the end. He then added, "You know, secret government agency and all that."

She thought about it for a moment, wondering what kind of lie she would tell her parents. She was never any good at lying, so she had to spend a lot of time to think this over. "Don't worry about coming up with a cover—we've got that settled for you. Based on the information we've been given, your cover job will be a personal trainer in New York City to celebrities and wealthy inhabitants."

Her head snapped up at his statement. "New York? I'm going to New York?"

Agent Black shook his head, another smile stretching across his face. "Maybe eventually, but as of now you will be going to S.H.I.E.L.D headquarters for your training. In New York we have S.H.I.E.L.D Central, which is the back-up facility to our Helicarrier. By the way, I hope you're not scared of heights. Or water."

"What's a Helicarrier?" she questioned, her head tilting to the side. For once, Agent Black wasn't the one who answered her. Instead, it was Agent Philips. "It's our headquarters. It's basically a huge, flying base that can also act as a ship."

Hannah nodded once more and went back to looking at the packet in her hands. After consuming all the information she found interesting, she slid the packet over to Agent Black again. She clapped her hands together and asked, "Well, when are we leaving, Agent Black?"

The agents at her table all smiled, and rose to their feet. Agent Black stayed in the house while the other three went outside to the regulation black Lincoln outside the house.

"We'll wait here until your family comes home, that way you're not leaving without telling them anything," he informed her. "When do the come home?"

As if they were timing it, both of Hannah's parents pulled into the driveway. Her father emerged from his truck and looked back at the SUV on the road, then pulled his wife into a one-armed hug before kissing her on the lips. They stepped into the house then stopped upon seeing Agent Black standing in the living room. The agent stepped forward and offered his hand, which her parents both took.

"Good evening, Mr. and Mrs. Baker," he greeted warmly, a smile spread across his tanned face. "I'm Jameson Black; I work for Method Fitness in New York City. I was just here on behalf of my employer who received an application from Miss Baker, here. He would like to accept her into our business."

Hannah's parents beamed at her, her mother looking up at her father with pride shining in her eyes.

"That's great!" exclaimed her father, clapping a hand on her shoulder. "Hannah never told us she was applying for jobs, much less jobs in New York!"

Agent Black smiled charmingly at her father, his head dipping out of respect. He turned his head to Hannah, silently telling her to get in on the lie.

"Well, I wanted to surprise you guys with my new job," she lied sheepishly, guilt wafting over her, erasing all of her excitement.

"When are you leaving to New York, sweetie?" asked her mother tenderly, her hand reaching out and stroking her daughter's arm.

"Today," Agent Black answered for her. Her parents both looked at him in astonishment.

"So soon?" questioned her father, sadness seeping into his voice. "She only just got back to the States a few weeks ago!"

Agent Black seemed to have the whole lie figured out, word for word, and so he immediately replied, "I know, Mr. Baker, and I'm terribly sorry, but my employer is very eager to meet her, and he wishes for her to start tomorrow. We already have prospective clients ready for her."

Hannah's father nodded, his brows creased in thought, while her mother stared up at him, her hand on his chest. He nodded again in finality, then looked up at his daughter and the agent and smiled widely, triumphantly. "Well, Hannah, I think you should go pack your things! Sweetheart, why don't you go help her?"

Hannah's mother nodded happily, then followed her daughter down the hall behind them to her bedroom to pack her bags. She didn't really know if she would actually need her clothes, but she figured she'd find out when she got there. Julianne Baker swept through her daughter's bedroom, gathering up all of her clothes and folding them into suitcases and bags while Hannah gathered all of her toiletries together. About thirty minutes later, Hannah was saying a tearful good-bye to her family and climbing into the back of the Lincoln on the street.


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: Hey guys! So, here's the second chapter. Yay! I'm going to try to update this thing daily, but I can't make any promises, what with me being in college and all that. Damn homework. Anywho, please enjoy and leave me a review!**

** Also, at this time, I'd like to thank **(Love)Is(Only)For(The)Oblivious**, (FF doesn't like periods) who not only favorited and and added my story to their story alert list, but they also added me to their favorite authors and author alert lists. That means a lot! Also, I'd like to give thanks to **viressiel, LissaUnderground, rockobrocko, Camelia(Becker)Temple, Shoulda Been Grace, Shedaisies, 123cellogirl, The Next LJ Smith, ThisLoveHasNoCeiling, **and** musicluver707 **for adding this story to their favorites/story alerts. And, I'd like to thank **viressiel**, again, for leaving me a review. It all means a lot to me! -cue tears-**

* * *

The jet landed on the airstrip at the Helicarrier, the agents leading Hannah out onto the strip. Her multiple bags of clothes were discarded before they boarded—Agent Black informed her she would not need them, that clothes will be provided to her—leaving only her bags of toiletries and the few possessions she wished to take with her. Agent Black led her to a large, steel door and punched in a code, the door hissing open to allow their entry. He took her through a maze of halls, explaining what each section of the Helicarrier was used for.

"We're currently in the weapons department," he was saying, motioning to the warehouse-sized rooms that surrounded them.

"This entire floor is the weapons department?" Hannah asked incredulously. Her eyes swept over the halls, the metal walls glimmering in the overhead lights. She dared a peek into a room, the floor-to-ceiling window giving her a clear view of the inside, and saw agents moving about taking inventory, discussing weapons, and she even saw a few outfitting themselves with guns and armor. She turned her head to the right to look into another window and her eyes met with a pair of piercing green eyes. The owner of the eyes was a man who wore a black sleeveless vest with a quiver strapped to his back. He gave her a brief nod, which she returned, then turned away from her, his hands working over his bow.

"That's Agent Barton, but he also goes by the name Hawkeye," stated Agent Black, who noticed her staring.

"Hawkeye?" she questioned. _They have code names? I wonder what mine will _be.

"Yeah, he got the name while performing in a circus," Agent Black said nonchalantly. She looked at Agent Black, her head nodding absently, then continued to look through the other windows.

"Does everyone get code names?" asked Hannah, her mind warring between the possibility of having a nickname and not having one. Agent Black chuckled at her, shaking his head. "No, only a few agents have come to have nicknames. They usually earn them before they join S.H.I.E.L.D."

They stepped into an elevator that Agent Black had to swipe a card for, then began moving up a floor. He led her through a few more hallways, his hands gesturing to the different departments and rooms, then pushed open a door that led into a wide hallway. There were doors on either side, all numbered and lettered.

"This is the rooming area," he announced, sweeping his hand towards the length of the hall. "The rooming area actually spans three floors, this one being the first. There are stairs in here rather than elevators."

He led her down the hall, then made a right at the end, and it was then that Hannah noticed there were more hallways. At the end of the hall there was a spiral staircase made of metal, and he led her up it, then began leading her through the halls of the second floor. She passed by several agents, all in their uniforms, and nodded politely at them all. Finally, on the third floor, Agent Black stopped in front of room C37. He swiped his card then pushed the door open, the light inside automatically flickering on. The walls were a black tinted metal, the light was shining dimly off of them, and there were two beds against either walls next to the door. In the middle of the room to the right, there was a narrow hallway, leading to what Hannah guessed would be the bathroom. Beside each bed there were nightstands, each holding their own objects for the owner.

"You will be sharing a room with three other agents," he stated, motioning over to the beds in the room. "Don't worry, it's not co-ed. There are two bathrooms in here, which are right over here."

He led her through the narrow hallway that split up the room, then tapped on two doors that stood opposite each other. "There are also closets along the walls next to the beds."

The two walked back out into the main room, and Agent Black pressed a small button on the wall opposite the door, next to the only empty bed in the room. A section of the wall slid away, revealing an empty closet. He turned to look at her, a smile on his face. "Well, this is your room."

Hannah gazed around at the room, taking in the monotony of its colors. All of the bedsheets were a navy blue with the S.H.I.E.L.D logo on them, the pillows a bright white, and the furniture a matte black metal.

"The room is so cheerful," she muttered to herself, earning an extremely amused chuckle from Agent Black.

"We have a color scheme to follow," he stated bluntly, shaking his head. "Come one, let's get you down to equip for your uniforms and ID card."

Hannah followed him out of her room, her mind reeling from all of the technology and agents rushing by her. She looked at the numbers on the doors that she walked by, her eyes holding on a door that was open. There were female voices coming from the room, one high-pitched and frantic, the other emotionless.

"I didn't touch your uniform," stated the emotionless female voice. As she passed the room, she dared to peek in and invade their privacy. Inside she could see the back of a black haired woman, her arms flailing frantically while she exclaimed about her lost uniform. In front of her, a woman with long, fiery red hair stood with her arms crossed over her chest. Agent Baker pushed through the door to the rooming area again, then made a sharp right, his body speedily descending down a flight of stairs. Hannah could feel the burning sensation in her shins from all of the walking she was doing, but she tried her hardest to ignore it. _Shouldn't have sat around on the couch these past three _weeks, she mentally scolded herself.

At the end of the stairs, the agent punched in the security code, the door hissing open, and strode into the dim room. Near the back of the room was a line of agents—new recruits, she guessed. Agent Black stood in line with her for the hour that it took for them to reach the front.

"Name?" asked the agent standing behind the counter, her eyes never leaving her clipboard. She taller than Hannah by a good three inches, and had white-blond hair that was pulled back into a tight but. Her eyes were a muddy brown framed by long, thick eyelashes.

"Uh, Hannah Baker," replied Hannah quietly. The agent swept her brown eyes over the clipboard then dragged her pen against the paper. She turned around and walked to the wall behind her, her eyes gazing over the boxes in their respective compartments. After not finding Hannah's box on the bottom shelves, she walked over to a metal ladder and dragged it over to her spot, then climbed up it. The box was on the upper shelves, and she took hold of the massive thing—which scared Hannah because she thought the wiry agent would fall off the ladder—then descended the ladder and placed the box on the table.

"There are fourteen training outfits, thirty-five pairs of socks, seven sets of gym uniforms, and seven sets of pajamas," she stated monotonously, her eyes boring into Hannah's. "There are also seven sets of recreational clothes and a pair of boots that you are to wear with your uniforms. All outfits have your name on them."

Hannah nodded quickly then hoisted the box up into her arms, her eyebrows shooting up in disbelief at the shear weight of the box. Agent Black led her into another area of the room and stood with her in _another_ line.

"This is where you'll get your ID card. You need it to get you all of your food, and grant you access to most rooms. Since you are an agent in training, you have restricted access to some facilities. Once you graduate to being a full-fledged agent, your card will be updated and you will have access to all facilities we offer."

Inside the room, an agent with a stern look on her face pulled Hannah forward and sat her down in a chair that sat in front of a blue background with the S.H.I.E.L.D logo on it. After snapping her picture, they took her over to a stand and placed her left hand on it. A stinging, burning sensation flared up in her hand, and she had to fight her reflexes to pull it back.

"Ow! What was that?" exclaimed Hannah, holding her hand by the wrist. She watched as it was slowly was covered in tiny droplets of blood. The agent kept her eyes on her paperwork, never bothering to look at Hannah.

"We took your fingerprints down for the scanners," she explained in her droll voice, smacking her red-painted lips. Hannah wiped her hand on her jeans, the blood smearing on the cloth, then took up her ID card and grabbed her box of uniforms. Agent Black led her back to her room, her arms protesting against the weight of the box the whole time and her legs burning and aching and threatening to give out. When they reached her room, she wasted no time in hurrying over to her bed.

"That's all for today," he said once she'd placed the box down on her bed. He moved to help her hang up her clothes, which she accepted gratefully. "Your first day of training begins on Monday in Conference Room 16E. To get there, you go out the doors on floor A, then go to the end of the hall and take the elevator to the top floor, which takes you to the control area. When you come out of the elevator, go left and follow the walkway to the staircase, then go down it and into the conference room. If you get lost, someone will be sure to help you. Oh, and the cafeteria is through the doors on floor A, then the third hallway to the left, and you'll come up to some pretty big doors. It's through those doors."

At that, Agent Black left her in her room. As soon as he passed through the door, she collapsed on her bed and fell into a deep sleep, not even bothering to stay awake to meet her roommates.

* * *

The following Monday Hannah woke up at five. Her roommates were already awake and gone by the time she'd risen from her bed, and she began to wonder if she was late, or they were just very early. The bathrooms were clear, so she took a quick shower and got dressed in her new training uniform, then headed out to the cafeteria.

She didn't expect it to be so big, but it was, and it left her pleasantly surprised. The room was teeming with agents, all moving about, carrying trays of food. Once she found the line she was supposed to be in, she waited for her food. When she reached the pick-up area, she gazed down at her meal: crispy bacon, a muffin, a bowl of fruit, three sausage links, two scrambled eggs, and a cup of orange juice. _Jesus_, she thought happily to herself, _they feed you really nice around here_. She walked out of the food line and slowly made her way over to a table. The agents that sat around it stared at her, their eyes staring into her very soul, it seemed, their conversations having been forgotten. She opted to not sit with them, and moved to the empty end of the table to sit by herself. _It's like freshman year at high school all over again_, she thought dismally.

When she was three bites into her bacon, a body lowered itself down next to her. She didn't bother turning to look at them, in case they were there to begin a secret hazing ritual.

"You're a new recruit, huh?" asked the person knowingly. Hannah dared a look over and was pleasantly surprised to see the man from the weapons department sitting next to her, a smirk on his face. _Mm, momma likes_.

"Uh, yeah," she replied slowly, swallowing the last bite of her bacon. Another body sat itself down at the table across from her, and she let her eyes wander over to the person—it was the red-haired woman from the rooming area.

"It's impolite to stare," she stated coolly, her eyes glaring into Hannah's. Hannah averted her gaze down to her food, her face flushing a bright red. "It's also impolite to listen to other people's conversations."

Another blush assaulted Hannah's face, and she felt like crawling into a hole and dying. _Great, someone already hates me._

"Ignore her, she's crabby in the morning," stated the man named Hawkeye. He held out his hand for her to shake, which she did so as not to make someone else hate her. "I'm Agent Clint Barton, but I also go by the name Hawkeye. This lovely woman is Agent Natasha Romanov, or better known as Black Widow."

_She gets a nickname, too?_ Hannah nodded, her eyes flickering back to Agent Romanov, who stared at her with a blank expression. Realizing a little stupidly that she should be introducing herself in return, she quickly straightened her posture and said in a small voice, "I'm Hannah Baker."

An alarm began blaring throughout the room, startling her only, and the agents all began rising lazily to their feet and disposing of their trays. Not knowing what to do, Hannah just sat there, her hands on the table. Agent Romanov was already out of the room with her tray disposed of by the time Hannah even thought to blink.

"Hey, are you coming?" asked Agent Barton curiously. Hannah looked up at him, not knowing what in the hell she was supposed to be doing.

"What am I supposed to be doing? Is this a security drill?" She looked around the slowly emptying cafeteria, the agents all filing out of different doors spread around the room. Agent Barton picked her tray up and stacked it on top of his, then pulled her up with his free hand.

"No, the alarm signals that breakfast is over and you need to get to your designated area," he explained, leading her over to a door on the far side of the room. "If I were you, I wouldn't be late: Fury doesn't like tardiness."

With that, he let go of her arm, then blended into the throng of agents leaving the room. Hannah stood at the door for a moment, letting other people push past her, then gathered her wits about her and pushed through the door behind a group of laughing agents.

* * *

The control room was everything she'd expected it to be: all metal and filled with computers. In the middle of the control room was a walkway that led to a small semi-circle of Stark Industries made computer screens. In front of that was massive window that allowed a full view of the sky. Hannah made her way down the stairs, following behind other new recruits, and walked into Conference room 16E. It was set up like a stadium, with half of the room enclosed in a half-circle of rows and rows of seats. She quickly walked up the stairs to her left and found a seat near the middle and next to a man who lounged in his seat with his feet up on the back of the chair in front of him. He looked over at Hannah, who was scared stiff and looking around like an animal in a cage.

"Hey there, sweet pea," he purred, his deep voice making Hannah's chest vibrate. She looked over at him, her bright blue eyes meeting his dark blue orbs, and smiled slightly at him. He was excruciatingly handsome, with a perfect head of red hair that stuck up in all directions and an attractive five o'clock shadow along his jaw. His smile was wide, and held two rows of perfectly straight, bright white teeth. She glanced down at his arms, and had to hold in the drool that was threatening to spill over her lips at the muscles on his arms. Luckily, he didn't catch her staring.

"Hi, I'm Hannah," she greeted, holding her hand out, initiating the handshake for once. He took her hand in his, the skin rough and calloused, and turned it so he could kiss her knuckles. Hannah's face burned from the act, and she tried desperately to hide it, but to no avail since he saw it and grinned even wider.

"Hello, Hannah. I'm Tyler," he smiled even wider at her now, something she found to be surprising, and released her hand. She pulled her hand back and let it fall to her lap while she tried to think of something intelligent to say. When she had finally thought of something, she was cut off by the sound of a door slamming open then shut, and the entire room fell silent. A tall, dark man stomped across the floor in front of the new recruits, his boots echoing off the walls. He stood in the middle of the room, a woman in a dark blue S.H.I.E.L.D uniform standing just behind him to his right, and glared at all of them with his one good eye.

"Good morning, recruits, I'm Director Fury" his voice boomed. There was a murmur of 'good morning's, which did not satisfy the imposing man. "What was that? Did I hear a 'good morning, Director Fury?'"

At that, there was a loud, resonating chorus of "Good morning, Director Fury" that spread through the room, shaking the seats the recruits sat on. Director Fury folded his arms behind his back, his eye roaming over each recruit. He strode to the left, then stopped and turned on his heel to look at the room of recruits again.

"Today is your first day of training," he said, his voice level and stern. "You are being trained for the position of secret agent. The training will be harder—harder than any training you have ever endured before in your life. You will learn hand-to-hand combat skills, medicinal techniques, communication techniques, weaponry handling and assembling; you will learn covert tactics, riot handling, and you will learn how to work as a team. The secret agent position also extends over to public welfare, and if by any chance the public is threatened on a large scale, you will be called together to work as an army."

He paused for a moment to let the information sink in, then began again. "Your first order of business will be to fill out the paperwork required. While employed here at S.H.I.E.L.D, you will learn to become best friends with paper and pen."

A minutes later, the female agent that stood behind him gathered up a stack of forms, then passed them down the rows. When Hannah received her form, she looked down at it, then reached over and grabbed a pen from the dispenser on the back of the chair in front of her._ It's like I'm signing my soul over to the Devil._

When all recruits finished their paperwork, which was a large stack of about three hundred pages of forms and contracts that needed signing, Director Fury began another speech. "During your training here at S.H.I.E.L.D., you will not be permitted to leave the Helicarrier unless it is an emergency that myself or Agent Hill here approves of. You will be allowed to contact your families to keep your covers strong, but that is it. Your training agent will be Agent Huffman."

A female agent with a straight back and an air of authority strode into the room and stood next to Agent Hill, her legs spread and arms clasped behind her back. Her S.H.I.E.L.D uniform was slightly different: instead of the normal dark blue uniform Hannah had seen many agents wearing, she wore a black uniform that said S.H.I.E.L.D across the front. Director Fury nodded to her then looked back at the recruits. "You are dismissed. Follow Agent Huffman to your training area.

* * *

**A/N: Oh, I'd like to address the fact that Clint Barton might seem a little..._nicer_... than most have portrayed him. That's because I feel like out of Natasha and him, he's the nicer, more outgoing one. I kinda of took that theory and threw in the fact that he's in his element, meaning being on base in the Helicarrier, and is a little more outgoing than one would be if they were, say, sitting in the middle of a restaurant with a bunch of people they don't know. Natasha just strikes me as someone who just doesn't like anyone when she meets them. So, if they seem OOC, to the point where my reasoning seems a little silly, let me know. I'm trying, guys! I haven't written in a loooooooooooong time. -cue more tears-**


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N: Hey guys! What's this? A double update?! Yeah! I started on this chapter as soon as I finished chapter two, and well, I finished it! However, I can't guarantee I will always be able to do double updates, mostly because I do have psychology homework to attend to. Oh, the woes of being a psychology major.**

** In this chapter we get a glimpse of what Hannah's very first day of training is like! I'm just saying, I would HATE to be her and all the new recruits. Also, while writing this chapter I listened to a lot of dubstep, just to get myself in the pumped up mood that would be required to even achieve the feats in this friggin' chapter.**

** Also, I'm quite discouraged by the fact that no one is reviewing... Is the story just not very good? I try to improve with every chapter. I won't stop writing this just because no one is reviewing, 'cause if I did that, why even try to write it, anyway? I want you all to like the story, and the only way to know that is if you review and let me know. I won't stop writing because what if I take the story down, and there was someone out there who really liked the story and was upset by me stopping? So anyway, please, leave me a review and let me know how I'm doing. You can even suggest things for the story, and I might use them!**

* * *

All one hundred fifty new recruits stood in perfect formation in the training area. Agent Huffman walked slowly up and down the rows, her eyes blazing and trying to find imperfections in the posture of her recruits.

"Alright, recruits," she shouted, her voice piercing Hannah's ears, "put your faces to the floor and give me three hundred pushups!"

The recruits dropped to the floor in perfect synchronization, their arms catching their falls and their toes bracing them against the cold concrete floor. Hannah pushed herself off the floor, her breath coming out in quick puffs. A few minutes into her pushups, Agent Huffman strolled over to her and placed a heavy boot on her back, leaning over and placing her mouth next to her ear.

"Pick it up, Baker!" she screamed, making Hannah flinch away from her. "You're moving too goddamned slow, pick up the pace or I'll have you doing pushups until your arms fall off!"

Hannah moved quicker than before, sweat beginning to break out on her brow.

_100...101...102..._

"I said pick it up, Baker!"

_104.105.106_

"Are you deaf, Baker? I don't see your lazy ass moving any faster!"

_110111112113_

She felt a weight being lifted from her back, and she sighed gratefully when Agent Huffman moved over to another recruit to scream at them instead, her trainer apparently pleased by her new speed. After another few more minutes, she was among the first to be done with her pushups. Rather than lay on the floor and try to catch her breath like she wanted so desperately to do, she quickly jumped to her feet to stand at attention until the next set of exercises were called. When the last agent finished, Agent Huffman walked to the front of the lot and screamed even louder than before, "Five hundred sit-ups! No breaks!"

Hannah once again dropped to the ground and began to do her sit-ups as fast as she could so she could avoid Agent Huffman from antagonizing her again. However, her attempts were in vain when she saw Agent Huffman marching over to her.

"Goddammit, Baker! You're doing splendid!" She turned to the other trainees and pointed down at Hannah's body. "Recruits, observe Baker here, and follow her damn example! She knows how to get shit done right!"

She marched away from Hannah, who didn't even bother to smile at her odd praise due to the burning pain in her arms and abdomen. Once again, she was among the first done with her sit-ups, and she struggled to bring herself to her feet to await her trainer's instruction. When the last recruit rose clumsily to their feet, Agent Huffman held her right arm up to call their attention to her.

"It's lunch time, recruits," she announced once all eyes were on her, bringing her arm back down to her side. "Go get yourselves some food, then come back here when the alarm sounds."

As soon as she finished talking, the alarm Hannah heard in the morning in the cafeteria began ringing in the training area, all the recruits and agents slowly filing out of the room to go to the cafeteria.

Hannah walked back to the table she had sat at that morning, her body heavy and stiff and aching, and dropped her tray onto the tabletop. Agent Barton and Agent Romanov joined her shortly after, Agent Romanov looking as if she was dragged there rather than joining of her own free will. Agent Barton looked over at Hannah and took in her sweaty, ragged appearance. Her hair clung to her forehead, and sweat rolled down the length of her nose, and her breath came out in ragged, heavy puffs of air. He laughed at her lightly then clapped a hand onto her shoulder.

"First day of training already kicking your ass?" Hannah looked over at him, her eyes wide and her mouth hanging open just slightly. She nodded her head slowly, then looked back down to her meal, her hand shakily reaching out to grasp her sandwich. "Who's your trainer?"

This time it was Agent Romanov who spoke, catching both Hannah and Agent Barton off guard. She stared at Hannah expectantly, one of her perfect eyebrows raised slightly. Hannah was amazed at how jumbled her mind was; she could hardly form coherent thoughts, much less turn them into words.

"Agent Huffman," she finally answered, her breath continuing to puff out of her mouth. Agent Barton flinched, a look of dismay on his face.

"Shit, I'm so sorry," he said, patting her on the back. "Agent Huffman is a tough one; most don't make it past the first day."

Hannah snapped her head up at him, her eyes wide and a look of fear spreading across her sweaty features. "You're supposed to cheer me up!"

Agent Barton barked out a laugh, his hand covering his mouth to prevent any food from flying out. "Look, Baker, S.H.I.E.L.D is tough with its agents; there's no sense in me trying to sugarcoat anything."

A miserable groan escaped Hannah's mouth, and she hid her face behind her hands. Agent Barton let out another laugh, patting her back again, and went back to eating his sandwich, his eyes flickering over to Agent Romanov to catch the small smile on her face.

* * *

After lunch, Hannah made her way back to the training area, taking her place in the line of slowly returning recruits. She stared at the back of the head of whoever was in front of her, her mind wandering over to anything else that would make her forget the dull ache in her muscles and the apparent return of her dreaded trainer. The first thing she thought about was how much she already missed her parents.

"Recruits!" screamed Agent Huffman as she walked briskly into the training area. "We will now be practicing our hand-to-hand combat. Find yourselves someone to spar with, and line up in front of me."

The recruits looked around sheepishly, all trying to meet eyes with someone to work with. Hannah looked around for someone, anyone, who looked to be about her size, not wanting to have her ass handed to her on the first day. She watched as a body separated itself from the crowd and moved towards her, her eyes flashing with recognition when she saw Tyler coming to her.

"Partner?" he asked, sticking out a hand, a wide grin on his face. She didn't really know if she wanted to pair up with him, due to the fact that he was at least a foot taller than her and had muscles that would rival those of her lieutenant back in Iraq. Finally, after debating whether it would be a good idea to spar with him, Hannah smiled back at him, took his hand and gave it a quick shake, then said, "Partner."

Sparring with Tyler was difficult. Not only was he was much bigger than her, but he also did not cut her any slack. He shot his fist forward at Hannah's stomach, her body curling in to protect herself, and collided with her forearms. She threw her leg out, the sole of her boot connecting with his side. He toppled to the ground in a heavy, undignified heap, his breath ragged and his eyes staring up into the ceiling.

"Time!" called Agent Huffman. She moved forward and helped Tyler to his feet, who gave Hannah a congratulatory pat on the back paired with another beautiful smile. "Good job, Baker, but you need to watch your footing."

Hannah nodded breathlessly to the two, her hands on her hips while she panted heavily. She walked to the back of the line with Tyler and leaned against him while she tried to catch her breath. He looked down at her and laughed, his own breath ragged and hot, then wiped his sleeve across his brow. Hannah stared at the next pair of recruits, both women, and watched as the obviously weaker of the two danced in small circles around her partner, her lithe body twitching out of the way of the stronger recruit's attempt to land a punch on her. Finally, just when it seemed she was going to make her first strike, her partner's fist shot out and cracked against her temple, sending her straight to the ground. There was a round of hisses and groans from the others as they watched her tiny body collapse, her partner immediately freaking out and rushing forward to check on her unconscious form.

"Agent Huffman!" she cried, her hands cradling her partners head, tears threatening to spill over. "She's out! I knocked her out! What do I do?"

Agent Huffman let out an exasperated huff of air and pressed a finger against her ear, her lips moving swiftly, relaying a message to someone on the other end. A minute later, the doors to the training area burst open and a group of agents in black uniforms matching hers rushed over to the fallen recruit, placing her carefully on a gurney, and rushed out again. The recruits' trainer turned back to the group, her brows furrowed in annoyance and barked out, "Next group!"

* * *

After training ended at six o'clock, Hannah dragged her weary body back to her room to shower. When she shuffled into her room, she was met with the sight of one of her roommates sitting on their bed, reading a magazine. She looked up at Hannah, her eyes flitting over her body, and Hannah returned the stare. Her roommate was a slender woman with a head of chocolate brown hair in a mass of tight curls, her brown eyes slightly slanted and her full lips shimmering with a dark pink gloss.

"You're the new roommate, huh?" she asked, flipping her magazine shut and sliding off her bed. She approached Hannah and stood in front of her, her hands perched on her hips, her lips curling into a smile and then shooting her hand out, waiting for a handshake. "Man, training is kicking your butt. I'm Agent Alexandra Hernandez."

Hannah shook her proffered hand and then let hers drop back to her side, her eyes starting to slide shut. "I'm Hannah Baker."

Alexandra smiled once more at her, then moved out of her way to let her pass to the restroom. Hannah shuffled to the bathroom quietly, her muscles aching and protesting with every move of her body, and shut herself in to take a shower. When she emerged, her muscles somewhat soothed, she noticed Alexandra was gone. She made her way down to the cafeteria and grabbed her tray of dinner, pleased to see it was a cup of chicken soup, a plate of steak and potatoes with vegetables, a dinner roll, and a slice of pie as a dessert. Grabbing a cup of tea from the counter, she swiped her ID card and made her way over to the table she'd sat at twice that day, her face dropping in slight disappointment to see Agent Barton and Agent Romanov were not seated there, leaving her to eat dinner alone. When she polished off her plate, she set it down for the dishwashers and rushed back to her room to go to bed.

When she walked back into her room, she did not see any of her roommates in their beds, but she did see the light to both bathrooms on and heard the showers running, indicating that two of her roommates were 'home.' She changed into her pajamas and tried to stay awake to meet her roommates, but sleep won her over and pushed her into a state of sleep so deep, one would think that upon first glance, Hannah was dead.


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N: Hey guys! So, after last chapter, there are a few time skips. The first is not a very big one, it's just skipping forward six months into Hannah's training so we can see her development and some character interactions. The next time skip is to the day of her graduation from S.H.I.E.L.D training six months after the first time skip. After that, it skips to her third year as a full-fledged S.H.I.E.L.D agent. Don't worry, I'll make sure you guys understand what time frame we're in. Also, the other Avengers will be showing up in a few chapters. I have all of the chapters summarized in my notebook, but as I write them, I realize there is a lot going on, or maybe, not so much going on, so I need to break them up into two chapters, sometimes. That happened with chapters two and three. When this story skips forward to the present, Hannah is in Iran, so please, please, please forgive me if I get anything wrong involving Iran's customs. Anyway, I'll stop rambling and let you all read! Please, enjoy the story, and if you have the time, leave me a review and let me know how I'm doing; I respond to ALL reviews!**

** At this time, I'd like to thank **viressiel **for adding me to their author alert list. Also, thank you to **viressiel **and **XIron(Marshmallows)X **(sorry, FF doesn't like periods), and **The Next LJ Smith **for leaving me reviews. Oh, and thank you to **Xiron(Marshmallows)X**, **maddy555**, and **Pirate-Spy-Demigod-Wizard **for adding this story to their favorites/story alerts! It all means a whole lot to me, it really does! -cue thankful tears here-**

**Don't you guys hate it when you get Cheetos stuck in your teeth?**

* * *

_Six months later_

* * *

"Baker! Watch your footing!" Hannah ducked away from the punch that came hurtling towards her face. Her sparring partner, Brianna, was trying her hardest to take her down. Brianna landed a punch to Hannah's shoulder, her body jerking backwards from the force, and in return she brought her fist up to collide with the underside of her partner's jaw. Brianna's head snapped back, displaying her pale throat to Hannah who took that opportunity to send her other fist forward and slam into the delicate body part. Her partner's head slumped forward, her mouth agape and gasping for air while drool dripped out and down her chin, then her body toppled backwards onto the concrete. Hannah stood over her, gasping for breath, and then was caught off guard when Brianna swiped a leg at her knees, bringing her down with her. Before Hannah could register the shooting pain in her knees from slamming into the ground, Brianna was on her, her hands around her throat, squeezing as hard as she could. Gasping, sputtering, and choking for air, Hannah clawed at her partner's hands, staring up into her lifeless, green eyes. A horrible, malicious smile was stretched across her face, her pearly whites mocking her while her nails dug into her skin.

At this moment, she knew she was more than likely going to die, and fear began to settle down into her stomach, giving her fuel to fight harder to keep her life. She dragged her nails over Brianna's skin over and over and over; she clawed so much at her skin, she could feel the skin beginning to tear away and collect under her nails. A rough, joyful laugh escaped Brianna's mouth as she stared down at Hannah, her face turning red, then purple, then blue, and slowly fading into a pale white.

_Dear God, don't let me die._

"Brianna, stand down!" shouted Agent Huffman, rushing over to the two women while pressing a finger to her ear. "I need back up down here, now! We've got a spat!"

Hannah could feel the life slowly draining from her body as Brianna literally squeezed the life out of her, her sickening smile growing ever wider. She could feel her brain become hazy, her eyes threatening to slide shut, and her muscles growing weaker. Just as the last bit of air left her body, and she felt life finally losing its grip on her, the pressure was gone, and she watched as two agents carried Brianna away, who was screeching and snarling in hatred and defeat. Gentle hands helped Hannah sit up, who began coughing violently and clutching onto her bruised neck. With each cough, a rough, stinging pain coursed through her throat, making her flinch each time her body tried to get itself together. Agent Huffman knelt down next to her recruit, her hands rubbing soothing circles on her back as she tried to calm Hannah down.

"Hannah, we're going to send you to medical to have your throat checked out," she informed her, her voice more than a little grim. Hannah nodded absently as she gently massaged her throat and allowed whoever was behind her to help her up. She turned her head to thank whoever it was, and smiled upon seeing Tyler standing behind her, worry written all over his handsome face. "Get her down to medical."

Tyler nodded to their superior and draped one of Hannah's arms over his shoulder, his arm sliding around her waist to help her stand upright.

"I was scared they wouldn't get her off of you in time, Baker," he said worriedly into her ear, his stubble scratching her cheek. Hannah suffered another bought of intense coughing, her throat feeling as if it were lined with sandpaper.

"Me too," she replied quietly, her voice scratchy and hoarse.

* * *

_Six months later_

* * *

Graduation day was just like high school: nerve-wracking. Hannah straightened up her new S.H.I.E.L.D uniform, the outfit considerably different than most. Instead of the navy and black suit that others wore, she wore a black shirt paired with matching black pants, a black leather belt holding it all together. Across the back, right between her shoulder blades, was _S.H.I.E.L.D Special Forces_ in big, white block letters. Over her left breast was a patch of cloth holding her title: _Spec. Agent Baker_. Pride swelled within her as she stared at her special uniform, the feeling bleeding over to her other teammates as she thought of the other ninety-nine members of her team. She pulled on her new boots and slipped on her gloves, her hand reaching out to grab her new hat that had her title over the brim. The door to the room she was staying in slid open, her roommate poking her head in to peek at her. "Baker, the ceremony's about to start, we better get up there."

Hannah nodded to her, then looked back in the mirror to make sure her hair was in its place and her uniform looked crisp. Pleased with her appearance, she walked out of the room and followed alongside her roommate, Special Agent Timms, to the stadium at S.H.I.E.L.D Central.

The ceremony was very long; just going through the new recruits for Human Resources took one hour. Finally, Director Fury made it to the Secret Agent group, his lips threatening to spread into a smile.

"I now present to you the new secret agents of S.H.I.E.L.D," he announced, leaning on his podium. "These agents have worked hard, and I am proud to initiate them into our organization."

He went through the list of agents, then initiated them into S.H.I.E.L.D, promptly having their medals given to them by the ushers. Next he introduced the Special Forces.

"At this time, I'd like to tell you all about a group of one hundred recruits who have seemed to wiggle their ways into my heart." There was a round of chuckles from the audience. "These agents worked hard, and came out at the top of their class. In fact, they were so dedicated and advanced that I decided to create a new force inside of S.H.I.E.L.D, call the S.H.I.E.L.D Special Forces. These agents will be sent on the more dangerous missions, and I have personally chosen their squad leaders to be Agent Natasha Romanov and Agent Clint Barton. We have observed these agents, watched as they grew to be powerful fighters and work as a team, and watched as they embraced S.H.I.E.L.D as their own as if it were tangible. I am proud to honor them and initiate them into S.H.I.E.L.D."

He called out each individuals name, giving them their medals personally, and then initiated them into S.H.I.E.L.D. Next, the squad leaders Natasha Romanov and Clint Barton made their way to the stage to congratulate their team. By the end of the ceremony, Hannah couldn't stop the waterfall of tears that flowed from her eyes from the pride that she felt for accomplishing something so great.

* * *

_Three years later: 2012_

* * *

Iran was just like Iraq: hot.

Hannah moved stealthily through the halls of the compound, her hair tucked into a helmet and her breasts taped down to give her the appearance of a man. No matter how hard she tried, she couldn't make herself seem more manly; her face was just too damn feminine. A nervous sweat broke out on her brow as she walked by two militants, their hands wrapped around machine guns, into the next hallway. She swiped her card and waited for the door to unlock and give her access to the room where they were supposedly working on nuclear weapons. When the red bar above the door flashed green, she pressed against the metal and heaved the door open, her body slipping inside the dark, dank room. Next to the door, she dragged her hand across the concrete walls, looking for light switches, and finally her fingers pushed on a row, the lights flickering on row by row. In the middle of the room, there were three warheads, all disassembled and waiting to be worked on. She grabbed a suit from the wall and slipped it on, then passed through the next set of doors into the facility, her light footsteps not making a sound on the concrete floor, and stood in front of the warheads. The schematics for the weapons were lying on a tray next to the table, and she picked them up to look them over. _This doesn't look right._

She rolled the schematics up and tied them with rubber bands, then walked to the containment chamber to look at the fissile materials. Using the machinery provided for the regular workers, she moved containers of nuclear compounds to see their names. None of them were names she recognized. _Where's the uranium-235 and plutonium-239?_

The door to the facility opened, and she jumped away from the machine and ran behind a stack of barrels. Footsteps echoed through the room, and she heard raised voices calling to each other in another language. _Shit, shit, shit._

When the coast was clear enough, Hannah crawled forward to the next stack of barrels, the radioactive symbol staring her in the face, and waited until she could move again. The facility was quiet for a time, the voices dying down and the doors opening then closing again, and Hannah took that time to jump out from behind the barrels and make a run for it. She made it halfway to the door when a hand shot out and grasped her ankle, her body tipping forward and her hand losing its grip on the schematics it was holding. The floor rose up to meet her body with a cold, hard collision, and she felt her head crack against it. Hands began to claw their way up her body, yanking on her stolen uniform, and flipped her over. A man with graying hair that was falling out sat over her body, his hands reaching into his pockets and retrieving a gun.

"What do you think you are doing in here?" he growled in a voice heavily tainted with an Italian accent. He pressed the barrel of the gun to her forehead, his index finger on the trigger. "Thought you could steal our work and give it to your precious director, eh?"

Hannah brought her head forward, her already throbbing skull cracking against that of her captors, the blood leaking from the broken skin on her hairline smearing against his skin. He brought his hand up to cover the point of impact, his other hand quickly dropping the gun. As she climbed to her feet, Hannah reached down and picked up the gun, along with the schematic, and tucked it into her waistband, then took off for the door. She heard the Italian man screaming something, his voice cracking and frantic. The door to the facility opened, and she pushed through it and ran down the hall, her feet carrying her as quickly as they can. She rounded a corner and collided with two more bodies in white lab coats, one of the bodies seizing her and holding her down.

"_Inject her, inject her!_" shouted one of the men in German. She felt a sharp sting in her stomach, then the feeling of a thick liquid seeping into her body. The bodies began hoisting her up, and she kicked and screamed until she felt the sole of her boot connect with something. Half of her body dropped to the floor, the other half staying suspended in the air by the still standing second captor. She righted herself as best she could, then snapped her head back to headbutt the other captors' head. He let go of her, and she wasted no time in pushing herself forward and rushing through the hall. Her hands gripped the schematics, the paper crinkling and bending under the force. She pushed a finger to her ear and began calling out orders for a jet to be ready for her.

There were two loud pops behind her, and she felt a sharp, intense pain unlike anything she'd felt before blooming in her left shoulder, extending down her arm and across her back, and another in her left thigh, spreading down her leg and into her pelvis. Her body dropped to the floor again, the left side of her body quickly becoming warm and wet feeling. A loud, shrill screech of agony tore through her throat, the sound echoing in the halls. She pressed her finger against her ear and shouted, "Bring a medical team, I'm wounded!"

"What's your position?" demanded a gruff voice. Hannah looked around her, trying to find something to give off her location.

"Uh," she stumbled, her voice hoarse as she gasped for breath. Another wave of pain surged through the left side of her body, and she felt herself twitch against the floor. "South of the nuclear assembling room, I think."

The voice on the other end gave a confirmation, then all went silent. She thought of the injection they gave her, and she used the opportunity to roll onto her back, painfully, and yank her shirt up to inspect her abdomen. Right below her right ribcage, a bruise was forming from being forcefully stabbed with a needle. There was dried blood around the injection sight, and a dull ache emanating from it. She let her head drop to the floor as another wave of pain tore through her, causing her to let out another quieter scream. Hannah's hand slowly reached down and removed the gun from her waistband, holding the weapon in case anyone were to find her. She felt the pain coursing through her body, and her grip on reality began to slip, her eyes starting to slide shut. After fighting it for what seemed like hours, she let herself fall unconscious in a pool of her own blood.

* * *

**A/N: Yeah, that happened. So, at this point in the story, we are in the year 2012, and it is AFTER the events of the Avengers movie. To give you guys a specific date, the day she is shot and finds the schematics is June 28, 2012.**


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N: Hey guys! So last chapter was pretty intense, huh? Not really. I'm sorry to those of you that felt it was rushed, and I know it seemed like that, and I tried very hard to keep it from feeling that way, but I honestly felt like some of those details were not important. However, since I know it was rushed, I WILL expand upon each part of Chapter 4 IN DUE TIME. One of the most important things I can say about it so far is DO NOT FORGET BRIANNA; she will be making MANY appearances in later chapters, especially when it comes to the Avengers. Anyway, this chapter will not feature the Avengers directly, but they are mentioned. So, ha! Also, this chapter was a doozy for me to write... I'd write, stop and reread it, add a bunch to it, work on it again, stop, reread, add some more. I'm sorry if I muff anything up medical-wise. I'm a psychology major, not a nurse!  
**

** Thanks to **XIron(Marshmallows)X**, ** viressiel**, **WolfDarkfur**, **daeb **and **Ramore361** for the reviews! Another big thanks to **Ramore361**, **kitty26998**, **golden-priestess**, **Ms(N)Nelson**, **azure blue espeon**, **slushy9511**, and **hyourin-kusabana **for adding this story to their story alerts! And lastly, thank you to **viressiel**, **XIron(Marshmallows)X**, **slushy9511**, **and Skyler1510 **for adding me to their author alerts/favorites and/or story favorites!**

* * *

The agents Hannah called in made it to the compound ten minutes later, a group of Special Forces agents running out of the jet with guns in their hands and a stretcher, their Kevlar armor covering their bodies, and forced their way inside, gunning down anyone who got in their way. They found Hannah lying in a heap on the floor, her blood spread around her gruesomely, barely breathing. Special Agent Tyler Hamming moved towards her unconscious form, his hand placing careful fingers on her neck to find a pulse.

"She's still alive," he called to his fellow agents. "She was shot in the left shoulder and left thigh."

Tyler began preparing the stretcher for her while the rest of the group split up to search the building, the sounds of shouting and gunshots following quickly after their departure. He pulled a first aid kit out of his pack and began pressing wads of gauze onto her wounds, then taped them down. "Ramos, get over here and help me get her up on the stretcher."

Special Agent Brianna Ramos glared down at Hannah's lifeless body, her eyes narrowing dangerously. A bitter snort escaped her, her head shaking in disgust at the woman lying at her feet. "We should just leave her here. She's fucked up the mission already."

Tyler heaved in a breath, his pulse quickening dangerously, and released it, hoping to calm himself down. "Ramos, shut the hell up with your bitch fit and help me get our goddamned _teammate_ up!"

Brianna glared down at Tyler now, her lips curling back into a sneer, an angry twitch forming just below her right eye. She stomped over to Hannah, making sure to splatter blood on her and Tyler as best she could, then heaved the woman up roughly. The movement disturbed Hannah's wounds greatly, and she awoke momentarily to let out shrill cries and weak, pathetic sobs. When she finally quieted down, Brianna marched over to the stretcher with Hannah's body draped over her shoulders, then laid her down, fuming dismally when Tyler rushed over to ease her down so she would not be in extreme pain again. He glared at Brianna briefly, then strapped Hannah down to keep her from falling off or moving. When the rest of their teammates arrived, they carried her out of the compound and placed her into the back of the black van waiting for them and sped away to the outskirts of the city.

* * *

Hannah's head lolled to the side as the agents carried her to the jet outside the city. They gently moved her to a gurney once they got inside, and strapped her in on her stomach. She groaned in pain as the jostling upset her bullet wounds, and the pressure on her stomach hurt the injection site. _The injection!_

"Injection," she murmured breathlessly, the side of her face pressed into the padded surface of the gurney. An doctor from the medical personnel heard her weak mumbling and placed her ear to Hannah's mouth.

"Repeat that, Baker?" she asked, her voice stern. Hannah took in a painful breath, her mind wanting to shut itself down again and rest.

"Injection," she breathed again, her eyes cracking open just slightly. She winced in pain as she tried to move her arm to motion to her stomach. "Stomach."

The doctor nodded to her fellow team members, and together they slowly turned Hannah back over; a loud, pained groan seeped out of her throat, the pressure on her wounds becoming unbearable. The doctor yanked up her wrinkled, bloodied shirt to inspect her stomach, her eyes falling on the bruise staining Hannah's skin.

"Get me a vial to take blood," she ordered, holding out her latex-gloved hand. "It seems they injected her with something. Hannah, I'm Dr. Saunders. Do you feel any pain?"

Hannah groaned again, only this time it was at the absurdity of her question. "Of course I'm feeling pain! I've been shot _twice_!"

Dr. Saunders flinched away from Hannah's angry words, and she instantly regretted her outburst.

"I'm sorry," she said, her words fumbling over each other. "I'm just in a lot of pain and I'm not thinking clearly."

The doctor waved a dismissive hand at her. "It's alright. I'm going to take some blood from you so they can analyze it back at Central, alright?"

Hannah nodded, then waited as they drew two vials of blood from her. She watched as Dr. Saunders' hands moved swiftly to collect the blood, then wiped up her arm and taped a cotton ball to it. The doctor moved away from her, the other agents rolling her back onto her stomach, the pain coursing through her body and causing her to groan and whimper.

"We have to remove the bullets now, Baker," said Dr. Saunders cautiously. Hannah felt fear prick at her mind as she nodded slowly. "We don't have any anesthetics."

Her stomach dropped; they'd be removing _two _bullets from her body with _no anesthetics_? She began to hyperventilate, the fear rushing through her body and taking over the pain. "No anesthetics? Can't it wait until we get back to Central?"

Her voice was frantic, pleading, and sweat began to form on her brow, mixing with the blood, and tears pricked at her eyes. The agents handed over a tray of medical supplies to the doctor, their faces grave.

"It can't wait, Baker," she stated mournfully. "The bullet in your shoulder is lodged into a pretty precarious spot, and we're worried it will become stuck if we leave it there any longer. Your thigh is in pretty critical condition, also."

Hannah took a deep breath, causing a dull ache to shoot through her shoulder, and nodded her head slowly, tears beginning to roll down her cheeks. The doctor nodded to her team members, their arms moving to hold Hannah down, one of them placing a belt in her mouth. A moment later, the feeling of sharp objects digging inside her skin caused her to scream with everything she had inside her, the belt clattering to the floor. She sobbed and screamed as the agents tried their hardest to hold her writhing body down, and Dr. Saunders tried her hardest to stay focused while digging around her wound to find the bullet. Finally, the doctor felt her tweezers bump against something, and she pulled the objects out, the bullet glimmering with blood in the light. Blood began to ooze from the wound, and she poured antiseptic on it, causing Hannah to begin screaming again. She grabbed a needle and thread and began to sew the wound shut, the blood continuing to ooze out and cover her gloved hands. Hannah's cries died down to soft whimpers, her quiet pleading growing weaker and weaker. When she finished with the first wound, and took up a knife and cut open Hannah's pants to expose her thigh. The doctor cringed when she saw the blood covering her skin, the bullet no doubt lodged deep inside. She poured antiseptic on the wound, waiting as Hannah's writhing and crying died down, then set to work on removing the bullet. Hannah could not help the cries of agony that escaped her mouth, her body jerking and twisting itself from all of the pain. When Dr. Saunders removed the bullet, she followed up with a cleansing of antiseptic and began sewing the wound shut.

Hannah's body was weak, her muscles aching and the pain from her bullet wounds throbbing throughout her body. An agent sat in front of her, talking to her, but all she heard were mumblings that sounded like they were being passed through a filter. Her eyes focused then unfocused on the agent, her brow narrowing when she couldn't understand him. He looked away from her, his voice growing louder and sounding more frantic, then looked back at her and began talking to her again, his hand reaching out and tapping against her cheek.

* * *

There was a bright, white light just outside of her eyelids, calling her awake, and she slowly let her eyelids part, the light creating black spots across her field of vision. The first thing she did was turn her head to the side, her eyes falling on the sight of medical personnel moving about the room. One of them turned their head and caught her staring, his eyes lighting up and a smile coming to his aged face. He picked a clipboard up from the counter he stood at and walked over to her, his smile never leaving his face.

"Good evening, Special Agent Baker," he greeted, adjusting her bed so she was sitting up. Hannah winced in pain as the movement disturbed her shoulder, then sighed in relief when it stopped. "I'm Dr. Blake and I'm glad you're awake; you passed out on the jet ride over here, and once you got here we pumped you full of painkillers and looked over your wounds."

Hannah nodded, her mind foggy, and stared at his hands. Her head began to tilt forward, and she jerked awake, earning an amused chuckle from the medical agent.

"The effects of the painkillers are still wearing off, I see," he stated, grabbing a stool to sit by her side. She turned her head towards him and blinked a few times, trying to erase the copies of the agent from her sight.

"Where am I?" she asked groggily while scrubbing at her face. Another member of the medical personnel walked over to her and began checking her vitals.

"You're back at Central, Miss Baker," he replied, his smile faltering slightly. "You must be very disoriented. Dr. Agnew, please bring her a cup of water."

Dr. Agnew nodded politely to the agent, then walked away to get Hannah a cup of water.

"How are my bullet wounds, doctor?" asked Hannah worriedly. He smiled at her then began flipping through pages on his clipboard.

"Dr. Saunders took care of it all, so by the time you got here, all we needed to do was give them a once-over and run tests on your blood samples," he paused, looking up at her. Dr. Agnew returned with a plastic cup full of water and handed it to Hannah, who took it gratefully. "She mentioned you being injected with something; do you happen to know what it was?"

Hannah thought for a moment, trying to recall if the men in lab coats had maybe said the name of the substance, but came up empty. "No, they just started shouting in German then stabbed me with the needle and injected whatever was in the syringe inside me."

Dr. Blake nodded, stroking his jaw thoughtfully, then looked back down at his clipboard. "Well, we ran a bunch of tests and came up empty, so whatever they injected you with must have been a dud. You're very fortunate."

He patted her knee then continued to tell her about the healing process for her thigh and shoulder.

"We're going to keep you here for a few more days, just to make sure you're okay," he informed her, writing something down on his clipboard. "We're also going to run a few more tests later on to see if anything shows up from the injection."

Hannah nodded her head, worry beginning to well up inside her again at the possibility of having been injected with something fatal. She reached down with her good arm and pulled the hospital gown draped over her up, her eyes freezing on the yellow splotch on her skin.

"They were very forceful with your injection," murmured Dr. Blake as he watched her inspect herself. Hannah pushed the flimsy cloth back down then submitted to just laying on the bed.

"So you guys found nothing wrong with me, other than the bullet wounds?" she asked, her eyes narrowing slightly. Dr. Blake shook his head and offered her a comforting smile.

"No, but you do need to eat more fruits," he suggested, giving her a sly smile. Hannah let the fear ease away and easily returned the smile.

The door to the medical wing burst open, and Director Fury walked in, his eye trained on Hannah's form.

"Just what in the hell kind of stunt was that, Baker?" he demanded angrily. Hannah felt her body shrink into the hospital bed, and watched as Dr. Blake hurriedly left her side, leaving her alone. "Your little stunt almost cost you your life! I thought I told you to inspect the compound _after_ taking care of Dr. Drechsler!"

Hannah shrank even more into the bed, her head hanging in shame. Agent Romanov and Agent Barton stormed into the room, their eyes narrowed at Director Fury.

"Sir, perhaps now is not the best time," offered Agent Barton as he moved towards his subordinate. He sat down on the stool next to Hannah's bed and gave her a quick glance. "Hey, you doing alright?"

Hannah looked up to her squad leader and gave him a shameful nod, her eyes not daring to look at Director Fury.

"Director Fury, although she went about the mission wrong," started Agent Romanov, her voice level as she tried to placate the director, "she did return with the schematics."

Director Fury breathed out of his nose forcefully, the vein in his temple pulsing dramatically. "Agent Barton, debrief her."

With that, he stormed out of the room, mumbling about, "Damn agents who can't do their jobs right."

* * *

**A/N: Oooh, Hannah's in twoubleeee!**


	6. Chapter 6

**A/N: Hey guys! So, last chapter Hannah was in BIG trouble. Also, the reasoning for why Brianna is still in S.H.I.E.L.D will be explained shortly.**

** I'm really sorry I didn't update yesterday, and I'm sorry this was updated so late today. I started working on this, yesterday (Saturday) but then my emotions got in the way and I ended up abandoning it so I could lay in bed being miserable then take a shower and watch Batman, Finding Nemo, and the Wizard of Oz on the VCR. After that, my night was ruled by my boyfriend. -cue googly, love filled eyes- I really couldn't figure out a good place to stop this chapter, so I settled on when they get to the first floor of the Avengers half of the tower.**

** Just to let you guys know, one of the villains in this story is completely _made up_ from my imagination. The other is Marvel's. I have created a crap-ton of OCs for this story, both major and minor.**

** Thank you to **girllyingbythesea901**, **Maros-song**, **Amberleaf le Haunt, samjake**,** Penn Langley**, and **Akaikumo to Ginnoki **for adding this story to their favorites. Also, thank you to **flamingmarsh**, **Maros-song**, **superloudean**,** Amberleaf le Haunt**, **Centinibron**, **and Akaikumo to Ginnoki **for adding this story to their story alerts. And again, thank you to **XIron(Marshmallows)X **and **viressiel **for the reviews. It all means a whole lot to me!**

* * *

When the door to the medical wing shut and Director Fury had disappeared, Agent Romanov and Agent Barton both made themselves comfortable on either side of her bed. Agent Romanov handed a thick, gray folder across the bed to Agent Barton, who took the folder from her hands and settled back onto his stool.

"So, Special Agent Baker," he started, chewing on the side of his bottom lip. He tapped an index finger on his chin, his eyes skimming over the report. Hannah averted her gaze back down to the cover thrown over her, shameful tears threatening to well up inside her eyes. "You failed to follow protocol and create a legal identity for yourself—why?"

She refused to look up at her superiors, shame and regret emanating from her healing body. She began to absently pull on a thread sticking out of the cover, her mind refusing to come up with an answer; her teeth gnawed on her bottom lip, tearing at the skin, instead.

"Baker," commanded Agent Romanov sternly. Hannah flinched away from her and finally answered the question asked of her. "I don't know. I just decided not to, I guess."

There was a beat of uneasy silence, then, "You do know you compromised S.H.I.E.L.D by doing that, right? Dr. Dreschler was not supposed to know you were there, but since you failed to come up with an identity, your presence was immediately known. How did you finally take down Dr. Dreschler?"

Another wave of shame twisted in her stomach.

"I didn't," she whispered almost inaudibly. There was another beat of silence, the tension in the room rising.

"You didn't _take him down?_" demanded Agent Barton, his voice tensing up with irritation. "Then why is he reported dead?"

"When the team arrived to retrieve me, they must have taken care of him." The silence that followed this time was heavy and long, both higher agents staring at their subordinate with wide eyes.

"Baker, did you do _anything_ according to protocol on this mission?" asked Agent Barton, his eyes narrowing angrily. Hannah hung her head in shame, her hand ceasing to pull at the damned thread that was protruding from the cover. "You're among the best on this team, Baker. Why did you screw up so much on this mission?"

Hannah shook her head miserably, her shoulders sagging. She was going to be fired, she just knew it. All of her hard work was going to be flushed down the toilet because she decided to do things her own way for once, just to get a damn mission over with. Her mind wandered over to what her father would say if he ever knew about this. _He would be so disappointed in me_, she thought dreadfully, her eyes sliding shut in defeat.

"Normally, S.H.I.E.L.D would terminate agents that screw up as monumentally as you have," stated Agent Barton as he flipped the folder in his hands shut. Hannah's wide eyes snapped up to his face, fear and pleading evident in their blue depths, and she stared at him, willing him to continue. "However, Fury has decided to give you one more chance since this is your first screw-up."

A breath she hadn't known she was holding puffed out from her mouth, her wildly racing heart threatening to beat a hole in her ribcage. So she wasn't going to be fired, but she was more than likely going to be banned from performing another mission of that caliber for a _long_ time. Relief washed over her as she repeated Agent Barton's sentence in her mind over and over, and she allowed a small smile to grace her lips.

"You're lucky Fury decided to have me debrief you," he added nonchalantly. "He would have fired your ass for sure with the answers you've given us."

Her stomach dropped again.

* * *

She was in recovery for two more days, the doctors checking her wounds and taking more blood for testing, before they finally released her on medical leave for two weeks. After that, she was wheeled to the medical wing every day for follow up exams, her wounds being undressed and redressed. Her arm was in a sling, much to her dismay, and they informed her she may be in need of a cane due to the wound in her thigh. When they gave Hannah the results to her blood tests, their answers were the same: there were no changes in any of her cell counts, and no changes in her overall health. In other words, she was very, _very _lucky.

One day while in the medical wing having her wounds checked, Director Fury approached her, a gray folder in his hand, his previous anger having finally subsided. He sat down next to her wheelchair, a blank look on his face.

"Good afternoon, Special Agent Baker," he greeted, his eye boring into hers. She nodded to him briefly, then brought her hand up to salute him. Director Fury sat back in his chair, his leather coat groaning against the leather seating of the chair. "How are your wounds doing?"

"They're healing very quickly, from what the doctors have said," she replied, sparing a glance down at her shoulder and thigh. "Dr. Blake told me yesterday that at the rate I'm healing, I can begin physical therapy in a few weeks."

Director Fury nodded in approval, his brow creasing in thought. "Good, good. I wanted to talk to you about something."

Hannah looked up at him expectantly, her right brow raised slightly. He let a small smile twitch across his lips, then it disappeared.

"The Avengers Tower has just finished its re-construction of the top floors," he started, her head bobbing at his words. She vaguely remembered being told of the invasion by a crazy guy named Loki, as she was not in America when it occurred. "The Avengers team will be officially moving in this week, and we've decided to assign a team of Special Forces agents to the tower to help with security."

Hannah cut in, then. "But, sir, they're the Avengers; they really don't need reinforcements with security, do they? Especially since Tony Stark has his high-tech security systems."

Director Fury let out a slight chuckle at her words. "Everyone has been saying that, and I'm aware of Stark's over abundance of security, but we feel with Special Forces agents around, the security will be much tighter than it already is."

She nodded, her eyes narrowing in thought. "What does this have to do with me?"

Director Fury shifted in his seat to find a more comfortable position, then handed her the file he had been holding. She flipped it open, looking at the before-and-after pictures of the tower. "You're going to be part of the team that will be relocated to the tower."

"But, sir, I'm in recovery," she said, her eyes going wide with surprise. "I won't be much help if I can hardly move!"

The director shook his head at her and waved a dismissive hand. "No, no, you'll be transferred with the rest of the team in three weeks. We're going to give them some time to settle in, then move you guys over there."

Hannah flipped through the file, glancing at the pictures and only skimming the words for important names. She closed the folder when she reached the last page then handed it back to Director Fury, who refused it and pushed it back towards her.

"No, keep it and read through the profiles," he ordered, gesturing to the folder as he talked. "I think out of all the S.H.I.E.L.D members, you may know the least about the Avengers."

She nodded to her director then set the folder down on her lap. She looked up to Director Fury, waiting expectantly. When he did not say anything else, she asked, "Is there anything else you needed to talk to me about, sir?"

He shook his head, then offered her a warm, yet slightly tense, smile, then got up to leave the room. Hannah suddenly remembered something, and jerked in her wheelchair as she called out to him. He turned and waited for her rather patiently, much to her surprise. "Have you learned anything from the schematics?"

Director Fury leaned against the doorway and stroked his chin thoughtfully. "No, not yet. When we relocate you to the Avengers Tower, we will be sending the schematics with you so Mr. Stark and Dr. Banner can look them over."

She nodded then, and watched as he swiftly turned to leave, the door swinging shut behind him.

* * *

During the three week waiting period, Hannah began physical therapy. The process was slow, and her thigh was in a lot of pain during the therapy. When she asked what she would do about physical therapy once she was relocated, Dr. Blake informed her he would be going with her to continue her therapy, thankfully.

The day before she was to be relocated, Hannah reread the file given to her on the Avengers. She studied their faces, trying to memorize every minute detail, and almost memorized every word in their profiles. Her things were packed and set by the door, the largest container being a massive, locked, black case that held her combat uniform and weapons. Thankfully, two of her roommates—Alexandra and the woman she had _finally _met three days after coming to S.H.I.E.L.D named Rebecca—helped her pack. The other roommate, who was named Alexis, refused to help her. Hannah had finally met her three weeks after coming to S.H.I.E.L.D, as she had been away on a mission in Japan, and instantly the two women hated each other. It was not a slow, gradual process similar to the way Brianna came to hate Hannah, but an instantaneous clash.

Alexis was proud, too proud, and grated on Hannah's nerves when she insisted on reorganizing the bathroom, moving all of Hannah's belongings to underneath the sink or, in some cases, the trash can. Hannah's act of revenge was to take her laundry bag from the hall on Sundays and leave it under her bed, preventing her from receiving any clean clothes for the next week. However, Hannah got along just fine with Rebecca and Alexandra, although she was not as close to Rebecca like she was with Alexandra.

The morning she left, she gave a tearful good-bye to Alexandra and Rebecca, then choosing to ignore Alexis. A group of agents carried her things to the vans awaiting them outside of S.H.I.E.L.D Central while she hobbled along on a crutch, her arm still in a sling. Dr. Blake was waiting outside with the rest of the Special Forces agents that were assigned to the Avengers Tower. Upon inspection, Hannah found there were five agents standing by the vans, herself making six, and upon closer inspection, she noticed Tyler was among the group, as was Brianna, much to her dismay. Hannah made her way to Dr. Blake, giving him a brief hello, then moved over to Tyler, who gave her a tight, albeit slightly awkward due to her condition, hug.

"Barton and Romanov said you'd be coming with us to the tower," he stated, patting his hand on her good shoulder. He dropped it down to her waist, his hand moving to rest on the small of her back, and eased her forward towards his van. Agent Barton and Agent Romanov walked briskly out of Central and got into separate vans, and their agents followed their actions, all moving to one of the two vans. Hannah sat herself down next to Tyler, another agent named Roland Arnold sitting across from them. He was a massive man, with pounds and pounds of muscle on his body; his biceps alone were almost bigger than Hannah's head! He was quiet the whole ride, and Hannah and Tyler attempted to make conversation with one another, but found it was awkward with how silent their companion was.

The van stopped suddenly and the back doors opened, revealing a wall of shimmering glass. Outside the glass stood a row of about fifteen agents, all waiting for their orders. Agent Romanov jumped out of her van and began calling orders to them, telling them to move the luggage into the tower and into their rooms. Tyler and Dr. Blake carefully helped Hannah out of the van, her leg and shoulder throbbing with pain as she was half-carried out of the vehicle. When she was out of the vehicle, she looked up the wall of glass, her body seeming to sway when she noticed they were at the base of the Avengers Tower and the very top was so high up, she could barely discern it. _Thank God I'm not scared of heights._

Agent Barton and Agent Romanov stood in front of their agents, the group immediately straightening up and holding their chins up, waiting for a command.

"Well, here we are, agents," stated Agent Barton as he looked back at the tower, his eyes sliding upwards. He turned back to the group. "While we are here, you will be given shifts for security detail. Hamming, you start off the week with security detail by the labs. Your shift starts from eight PM to six AM. You will carry this shift for three weeks, then you will rotate to the next one."

Agent Barton continued to give the agents their shifts, informing Hannah that due to her injury, she will be starting with security detail in the penthouse for three weeks. When they finished their assigning, the two squad leaders led their subordinates into Stark Industries, as the lower half of the tower was called, cramming everyone into three separate elevators, then made their way to the first floor of the Avengers Tower.


	7. Important Update

5/07/2013, 11:39 PM

* * *

First of all, I would like to thank every single person who has read, reviewed, followed, or added this story/myself to their favorites. I honestly appreciate all of it. You guys are really the reason why I am posting this right now.

Second of all, I am deeply sorry for not updating this story in, what, almost a year? It began with me wanting to revise the chapters I already had, and I also got a beta to help me. However, college got hectic, then my beta seemed to have disappeared (I really hope they are okay! Viressiel, are you alright?), and then medical problems arose in my family that were honestly more important than this story. Laziness is also another factor. However, I am currently searching for a beta, so if any of you are interested, let me know.

In regards to the revision process, I have already finished revising chapter one. There was so much changed to it that the original chapter one is pretty much split into _multiple_ chapters. The new chapter one is okay for uploading, but I don't want to upload just one chapter and then never upload another one for months. So until I get a new beta, and I revise at least two more chapters, this story will not be updated. However, it _will_ remain on this site so long as I am _still working on it_. If for some reason the story disappears altogether, that means I have scrapped it and am no longer working on it.

Along with this fic, I have many more planned in my head (Dreaded plot bunnies that show up at 4 AM…). Among these are _Avatar: The Last Airbender_, _Harry Potter_, and _Lord of the Rings_/_The Hobbit_/_The Silmarillion_, along with more _Avengers_ fics. Most, if not all, will include an OC, but whether or not they are the main focus is yet to be decided (A:TLA and HP will include OCs with definite love interests. Sue me.).

Once again, thank you to everyone who has given me feedback on this story and all that other stuff. You guys are the reason why I am going to continue this story. And like I said, if any of you are interested in being a beta for me, please let me know, as I am currently searching for one.

- SnailsAndPuppyDogTails


	8. Important Update 2

5/08/2013 11:28 PM

* * *

Another update! Anyway, I just wanted to let everyone know that I have found a beta (Who, coincidentally, is my previous beta. She's alive!) and I will begin work on this story ASAP. The new, revised chapter one will be uploaded once I am done with chapter two. Once I post the new chapter one, I will remove all of the other chapters for this story to avoid confusion and all-around messiness.

The title of this story will also be changed to **Death**. I've also decided that this story will be two separate stories, with the first being **Death** and the second being **Rebirth**. Along with the title change, there will be a new summary 'cause, frankly, my new vision for this story and the summary for the previous one do not match at all.

I think that's pretty much it for this update, guys. I'm not exactly sure when I will begin posting new chapters, but I expect it to be within the next week or so.

So, with all of that said, I'm really happy all of you are still with this story and I'm super happy people are still following this story despite my not updating it in _forever_.

Until next time, guys!

- SnailsAndPuppyDogTails


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